SSI for child

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program can also be used for children with disabilities and has slightly different requirements than that for adults. For SSI, a child is defined as one who is not married and is not the head of the household. They must also be under age eighteen or under age twenty-two and a student who is regularly attending school.

A child may be eligible for SSI benefits if they are either blind or disabled. A child is considered disabled if he or she has “a medically determined physical or mental impairment which results in severe functional limitations and can be expected to result in death or has lasted or can he expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve months.” A child may be eligible for SSI benefits for a disability from birth. When the child becomes eighteen, they are then given benefits based on the definition of disability for adults.